


Princess' Dragon

by Ashynarr



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragon!Alfred, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-11
Updated: 2015-02-11
Packaged: 2018-03-11 16:55:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3331685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashynarr/pseuds/Ashynarr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a child, Emilie was sent away for her own protection from an evil curse, only to be rescued by the most unlikely of duos. Years later, she's found again and brought back to her birthland, with protests, but family has a way of coming together again, even in the more unlikely of circumstances.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lost and Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First request fill from several months ago for princessofthereach, who wanted AmeFem!Can (but didn't give me a prompt). This sort of popped into my head while I was thinking over what to write, and I loved it too much to let it go. It also sorta got out of hand, so that's why it's four parts long.

Emilie was six when her parents sent her away, wrapped in confusion and peasant's clothing as she was ghosted away in the dead of night for the far reaches of the kingdom. She'd only half an hour previously been woken by her tearful parents, both of whom promised that one day they'd bring her home once she was safe. She did not understand why she was being taken from her home, having never been told of why everyone watched her so closely.

Emilie, the crown princess of the Kingdom of Andaca, was from birth cursed to have her heart stolen from her by a dragon, the most terrifying creature to rule the western mountains.

The warlock who'd casted this curse had laughed in some private amusement after this declaration, vanishing in smoke as the guards futilely attempted to seize the madman.

Having no other means of protecting their firstborn, the king and queen had increased the guards around and within the castle to keep out intruders, and made certain that the young princess was always being watched by at least one of their loyal retainers. They also set out patrols to drive out the dragons who had moved too far within the borders, determined to keep the beasts far away from the heart of the kingdom.

In the center of all of this, Emilie was nearly lost under the constant gazes that made her choke on her words and fears. As a child she was quiet and awkward, unable to make friends her own age and unable to bond with the adults the surrounded her and stifled her. Books were her only relief, an escape to places far away from the grey and white walls of her home.

But all of that was gone now, quickly fading from view as the trees grew larger and closed around the horse and riders. Emilie found herself scared of this wide world, for the first time wishing to be back in the safe embrace of her bed. The night seemed to drag on, the only sign of progress the movement of the horse beneath her and the patches of moonlight the streamed in from above.

The journeyed for three days, travelling at night and resting at an inn during the daylight hours. Emilie would cry herself to sleep silently in the uncomfortable beds, ate the bland food without a peep, and clung tight to the unknown rider who took her further and further from home as they rode.

On the fourth day, they reached the eastern mountains, beyond which Emilie knew from her lessons was the kingdom of Meracia, which overlooked the grand Caltatin Sea. The going was slower, though, as the mountain paths were not always safe, and several times they had to turn back for lack of path.

One such detour turned out to be a trap - the falling rocks spooked the horse, sending the riders to the ground and dazing the princess. They were surrounded by bandits, all much crueler and more terrifying than the storybooks had seemed to make them.

Then again, those bandits had been going up against knights and heroes, not a frightened little girl and her escort.

In his favor, the man had tried his best to protect her, but he was clearly untrained in combat. She'd screamed as she watched him fall, the bandit's cruel laughter making it all the worse. Emilie kicked and screamed as she was dragged up by her hair, tears staining her dirt-smudged face. They howled in amusement at her struggles, jabbing at each other with words she didn't know but made her body crawl.

One hand had already reached under her shirt, making her squirm away futilely, when a screech sounded above them. They all looked up at the same time, the bandits rapidly paling as a large form of blue and white quickly descended towards them. It took a second for her to recognize it for what it was-

"Dragon!" One of the bandits yelled, all of them now scrambling for cover, but it was too late - the beast hit the ground, sending up dust and rocks as it snarled at them. The bandit who had been dragging her along quickly let go, more concerned with his own life than that of some child, no matter how pretty.

With a few more swipes and snarls all the others were gone, leaving Emilie alone with the massive beast. A part of her yelled at her, demanding her to run as far as she could, but she was frozen in place, unable to tear her wide gaze away from the beast that was staring down the path the bandits had fled along.

It snorted, ruffling its wings. "Stupid bandits…" It complained to itself, the voice not quite fitting with what she imagined the beasts to sound like. "Attacking innocent travelers like that… don't they know better?"

It finally noticed her, seeming to shift back as it looked her over. It didn't feel like the stares of the castle, but it was still unsettling, making her shrink into herself. Surprisingly, the dragon seemed to make itself a bit smaller too, less threatening.

"Hey, you alright there? They didn't do anything to you, right?"

She shook her head slightly, tears welling up as she tried to swallow back her fear. It-  _He?_  stepped forward, head lowered so that she could better see his face.

"Hey, hey, don't cry, please-" His voice was pleading, soft in a way she wasn't used to. "-I promise I won't hurt you, dragon's honor."

Emilie sniffled, rubbing at her eyes. "I wanna go home…"

"Do you remember where that is?" He asked, patient. "I could take you there if you like."

She almost agreed, before remembering why she was so far from home in the first place. Her head hung, her chest aching deeply. "They don' want me anymore."

"Are you sure?" His face furrowed in what she realized was concern. She nodded her head, and he sighed. "Aw man… do you know anyone else who can take care of you?"

Again, she shook her head. He frowned. "Dang… and Art's not around, so he can't help…"

The dragon stepped forward, making her shiver again, only to be surprised at the gentle way in which he picked her up, cradling her to his chest with one large paw. "Shh… I promised I wouldn't hurt ya, and I'm gonna keep it."

Flying was much different from riding a horse, Emilie quickly discovered. Each wingbeat dipped and rose in time with his breaths, each pulse warm against her. The claws her small hands clang to desperately were smooth and steady, enclosing but not trapping like she'd feared. The view was breathtaking once the initial panic had passed, the snow of the high peaks soft and bright from this distance.

It didn't take long for them to begin descending, confusing her until she saw the large cavern start to emerge from the surrounding terrain. Was this his den, then? It seemed so… small.

The dragon, still cradling her, sheathed his wings once he touched down, heading down the sloping tunnel until they emerged in a much larger cavern. She was surprised at how well lit it was, eyes darting between the holes in the wall where she could see fires burning without any sort of fuel.

"Art made those so he could make his way around without stumbling over everything. I don't mind 'em - they make the place feel a bit more comforting, even if I don't need the light."

He finally set her down, her feet landing softly on on smooth stone floor. As she took in her new surroundings, he shuffled his way over to another doorway that was much smaller than the one they'd entered in from. He didn't attempt to enter though, only sticking his long neck through for a minute, returning with what she realized as he approached was a basket of berries and fruit.

Emilie's stomach growled - she hadn't eaten since sunrise, and it was well into the afternoon now. He set the basket down in front of her, stepping back and making himself comfortable while she eagerly dug into the sweet and tart treats. She managed to make her way through a fourth of the basket before she felt full, sitting back and wiping at the stains on her face in a way her mother would have chastised her for.

The remainder of her parents made her tear up again, startling the dragon.

"Were the berries bad? Oh man, I should have checked before I gave them to you, but Art said he put spells on them to keep them fresh-"

She shook her head, unable to bring herself to explain how much she missed home. The dragon had been very kind so far, so different from all the stories she'd ever been told, but she still wasn't sure he would get it - dragons didn't really have families, did they? But he kept mentioning someone called 'Art'...

"Do you want to get some sleep? I can show you where Art's bed is-"

Sleep did sound nice, actually. She nodded, awkwardly getting to her feet at the same time as the dragon, following him as he made his way to the other opening in the cavern, which opened up into a smaller room containing a small mound of treasure. For a brief wild moment she wondered if she would have to sleep on  _that_  before he directed her attention to the small, human sized cot to the side.

Well, it probably wouldn't be any less comfortable than the inn beds.

To her surprise, it was much softer than it had looked, the blankets warm and comfortable when she wrapped herself in them. It wasn't her old bed, but it was nice. Yawning, she allowed herself to fall over so her head rested on the pillow, eyes slipping shut as the day finally caught up to her. She barely even noticed the dragon walking back out to the other room, leaving her on her own for the first time in her life.

~0~0~

His name was Alfred.

Emilie found he was more than willing to talk about anything she showed interest in, and slowly she allowed herself to be more forward, her natural curiosity overcoming her fading fear and sorrow. She learned all about his warlock friend, who was actually called Arthur, and was shown the library the man had collected in one of the side caverns.

"Just make sure to put them back where you found them," He'd muttered to her as she'd gaped. "He gets really fussy when his books aren't where they should be."

She also learned that he had moved here from the western range because of the increasing competition from dragons being forced back by the kingdom, and how he was the only one in the area because most dragons weren't fond of the heavy human traffic that went through year-round.

"Don't you get lonely, though?" She'd asked, shocked that any being could willingly live so far from others.

"Nah," He'd replied casually, ruffling his wings in a shrug. "I have Art to hang out with me."

"But he isn't here anymore."

"He'll be back eventually, and besides, I have you around for now, right?"

Emilie was also beginning to learn her way around the kitchen, which while clearly designed for an adult didn't pose too much trouble for her once she found the footstool. Her diet mostly consisted of what she could find in the cupboards and whatever Alfred brought back when he went hunting. He'd clearly learned how to cook the meat so that it was safe for her to eat, his aside of having to spare his poor cavern from being smoked out every week making her giggle in mirth.

It was all so different from what she was used to - struggling to dress herself, having to get her own food, and in one unfortunate moment of thoughtlessness scraping her knees when she tripped over a book that'd fallen to the floor and having no one to wrap it - but she had never felt more relaxed in her life. Alfred held no expectations for her, didn't tell her what she could or could not do beyond what would keep her from hurting herself, and was kind and thoughtful.

He was everything she'd ever wanted in a friend, so she could hardly be faulted for getting attached to him in the two weeks it took for Alfred's warlock friend to finally return.

Arthur hadn't even noticed her at first, too busy grousing to Alfred about the 'bloody horrid journey' and how he refused to ever set foot on a ship from Naips or Laug again. She'd ducked into a small alcove as he'd passed by for the library, the bag over his shoulder much larger than she'd expect.

"Alfred, have you been moving my things again?" He'd called out, returning from the library with no bag in sight.

Alfred poked his head in, huffing. "No, I haven't. You've scolded me enough about that."

"Then please, tell me who else could have moved all my books around and left the bed a right mess-"

He locked eyes with her, tired green widening as it registered her presence. She shrank into herself slightly, not moving as the man shut his eyes and breathed in. "Alfred?"

"Yeah?"

"Why is there a child here?"

"Because I rescued her." At the skeptical look he received, he continued quickly. "Look, she and the guy she was with were attacked by bandits, and she has nowhere else to go. It's not like I could just leave her there on her own!"

Arthur sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "And when, pray tell, were you going to take her back to her family?"

Alfred ducked his head. "She said they didn't want her."

The warlock seemed to have a complete reversal of personality after that, his face much softer as he looked back to her. "It would probably still be better for her to be raised by a normal family, not a couple of recluses like us."

"Well, it's not like I could just bring her into town and ask if anyone was interested, now could I?" Alfred rolled his eyes.

"Damnit, I know that." Arthur bristled, shooting a glare at Alfred before calming himself down again. "To be frank, I'm glad you didn't get it in your head to try. Lord only knows how that would have ended."

"Rude." Alfred finally turned his attention to Emilie, who had been keeping quiet out of habit - children weren't supposed to heard, after all. "Hey, would you be alright with going to this guy to town to see if anyone would take you in? I promise he won't try and eat you, no matter how scary his eyebrows are."

"Hey!" Arthur snapped, eyes twitching. "You promised to lay off of that!"

"I promised to lay off commenting on your cooking, not your eyebrows."

The warlock huffed, returning his attention to Emilie. "I apologize for you having to put up with him for this long - he can barely behave himself at the best of times, and when I'm around, well-" He waved between himself and the dragon, who was attempting to look innocent in the whole matter and failing.

"It's alright; he's been very nice to me so far." She replied, straightening up and biting at her lip. "Do I have to go? I won't be any trouble, I promise-"

"I hardly believe you would be, dear." Arthur replied kindly. "But as I already stated, this isn't really a suitable place for a young girl like yourself to grow up. Wouldn't you rather have a regular family to grow up with?"

She looked down at her dirty shoes, saying nothing. It would be nice, but a part of her was terrified that whoever took her in would eventually send her away as well. She swallowed, wondering if that was what these two were trying to do as well. They had seemed so nice, too…

"Hey, don't cry, Em." Alfred stepped forward, nudging her gently. "We aren't trying to get rid of you, promise. We just want you to be safe."

"Really, Alfred? Must you shorten everyone's name?"

"Well, Emilie's a bit of a mouthful, am I right? And she hasn't complained about it yet, so I'm pretty sure she's okay with it."

Arthur froze in place. "...Emilie? As in, the princess of Andaca?"

She nodded her head slightly, flushed in embarrassment.

"Wait,  _princess_?" Alfred looked back and forth between the two. "You gotta be kidding me, right? Why would a princess be all the way out here in the mountains?"

"I would assume her parents were sending her into hiding, although why I couldn't even begin to fathom." Arthur rubbed at his face, looking older than he had a few moments ago. "This makes things a lot more complicated."

"You're telling me. A princess, wow." Alfred settled down, looking at Emilie in a new light. "Isn't this something that's supposed to be in all those old stories of yours, Art?"

"That usually involves the dragon  _kidnapping_  the princess, not rescuing her. And I thought you complained about those stories."

Alfred shrugged. "Well, yeah, because they all make us out to be big and dumb creatures. Doesn't mean I don't pay attention when you read them out loud."

"You could have mentioned that sooner…"

"Does this mean I can stay?" Emilie asked, shrinking slightly when two sets of eyes turned back to her, before returning to each other.

"We don't have a choice, really. There would be too many people eager to take advantage of your status should they find out, and too many risks if we said nothing and someone who knew you came along in the future. I could try looking into where you were originally bound, but it's extremely likely only a handful even know you've left the castle."

Alfred rested his head on the ground, huffing in amusement as he side-eyed the young princess. "Looks like you're stuck with us for now; hope you don't mind."

Well, it wasn't home, but Arthur and Alfred seemed nice enough. Maybe everything would be okay after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like dragons. I also like subverting fairy tail plots. Naturally, I found just the niche for this pairing in both. (And thank god I got rid of the stockholm potential because that is just ew).


	2. Sight and Sound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Some very light implied onesided PruCan. It's easily ignorable if you don't want to see it that way.]

"Arthur! Hurry up! The baker will be sold out of pastries if we don't get there soon!" Emilie yelled down the path, earning a fierce glare in return.

"I'm certain five minutes won't hurt your chances of stuffing your face with those sugar-laden nightmares you insist on getting every time we come here," Arthur replied, deliberately not picking up his pace and holding back a grin as she puffed her cheeks out in childish frustration.

"You're a jerk, you know that?" She patted self-consciously at her hair, which had been cleaned and braided as neatly as she could manage for their latest visit to Meracia. It was a week from their cavernous home on foot, so they only went a few times a year, but the young woman enjoyed it each and every time. It was so big and colorful and full of people from across the world, thriving thanks to its massive ports and open trade policies. She never knew what there would be to see, so she did her best to see it all in the two days they were there to stock up on supplies they couldn't get in one of the smaller towns.

"You aren't exactly a lady yourself, poppet." The warlock allowed himself a small grin as she huffed, although she was grinning as well.

"And whose fault is that, now?"

"Alfred's, definitely. I at least  _tried_  to teach you manners, not that any of it seemed to stick."

They only paused in their jabs at each other to pass through the gateway into the city, which was really more of a ceremonial thing than an actual attempt at keeping the less than stellar types out. Anyone could have mistaken the two for father and daughter, what with their similar flaxen hair and soft faces, and it was a mistake they were more than happy to encourage for multiple reasons.

Only when the bakery came into view did Emilie leave his side, darting ahead with a grin while Arthur shook his head in amusement. For all she'd grown into a fine young woman, she was still much a child at heart, just like Alfred. In most cases he would pin all blame on the dragon for her attitude, but to himself he would admit that he had some part in her rather headstrong and near-boyish demeanor.

Figuring she would be a while, Arthur ducked into a nearby inn, intending to purchase rooms and something to drink while catching up on the latest news. Keeping up on world matters wasn't easy when one lived far from the main cities, but that was part of the reason for such visits. He settled at a table near the door - it made it easier to hear the rest of the floor than the corner, and was slightly less suspicious.

Most of the conversations were idle chatter - friends discussing their week over drinks, complaints about the latest rise or drop in prices of goods, thoughts on the latest noble trends. (Apparently the house of Jones had had a scare when the heiress had attempted manned flight from her bedroom window, but as she'd survived with a broken leg and bruised ego, there was little to worry about.)

"Small fortune, I heard." Arthur normally would have ignored the words, but the glance of cloth he saw when his gaze flickered to the table next to him was not from Meracia, but rather their western neighbor. Not rare, but not quite common either.

"Can't believe he thinks the kid might still be alive after this long - you'd think if someone had a member of the royal family captive they'd've come forward for a ransom before now."

"Mmmph." The lighter-haired man knocked back his drink, setting the empty pint back on the table with a clatter. "Guy's probably desperate; not like he can expect another heir with his wife gone."

The darker-haired man frowned thoughtfully. "...how many do you think will try and claim the reward?"

A snort of amusement. "How many people have young daughters with violet eyes? They aren't exactly the most common trait in the world."

Arthur's blood ran cold, his hand gripping the cup tight. He had a very good feeling he knew who they were talking about…

"Arthur? Are you alright?" He looked up from his drink to Emilie, faking a smile of relief.

"Oh, it's nothing, just a bit tired is all, dear."

She pursed her lips, but didn't refute his dismissal. "Do you want to take a rest, dad?"

"I probably should…" He left the payment for his drink on the table, ignoring the questioning gaze on his back until they were settled on the two small beds in the room.

"What was with that back there?" Emilie was frowning, basket of sweets set aside.

Arthur pinched at the bridge of his nose, frown lines decorating his mouth and shut eyes. "Apparently the king of Arcada has recently put out a reward for the return of his long lost daughter."

Her jaw dropped, eyes widening. Her voice came out breathlessly. "He  _what_?"

His gaze rose to hers. "For whatever reason, your father still believes you alive and wants you back, and is willing to pay a small fortune to anyone who does so."

Emilie stared at her lap, teeth worrying at her bottom lip. Her hands gripped tightly to her plain blue dress, and her ankles crossed and uncrossed restlessly. "Why now? It's been ten years without a word, and suddenly he wants me back?"

"I couldn't say one way or another." Arthur leaned forward to rest a hand on hers, startling her into looking up to his smile. "You don't have to go back if you don't want to; neither Alfred nor I will begrudge you for whatever decision you make."

"I don't want to go back." She stated automatically, before glancing back down to her lap. "I mean, I know that if I don't go back there'll be a lot of fighting for the throne once the king dies, and that if I do go I can make it safe for you and Alfred and others to return to the kingdom, but…"

Arthur had not allowed her to slack on her education, royal or not, and though she complained she was also thankful that she was able to understand how the world she might have grown up in worked. But whenever she thought of going back to the castle, she remembered the suffocating walls of people and stone and something in her chest tightened until she couldn't breathe-

It was scary. She didn't want to go back to that feeling of entrapment, but if she didn't...

The consequences were frightening to imagine.

"...I don't think I'm ready yet."

Arthur pat her hand. "Then I'll say no more on the matter, besides warning you to be careful. In fact…"

His hand moved up to press between her eyes, and he muttered a short phrase in the old tongue. Her eyes watered and grew fuzzy for a moment, before returning to normal. Glancing into the mirror, she could see her eyes now looked as blue as Alfred's scales, although if she looked hard she could sort of see through the spell due to her long exposure to his magic.

"No one should notice, but don't let them look too long. It'll wear off after a few days, but we'll be well on our way home, so that shouldn't be cause for concern."

"Thank you, Arthur." Emilie smiled, knowing that this was his way of showing he cared; at least he wasn't forbidding her from even leaving the caverns like she'd nearly feared (not that that would stop her, but it would be a pain until he finally relented).

"Get some rest; we'll get started early tomorrow so that you have some time to explore before we leave."

Her smile grew. "You're awesome sometimes."

He laughed softly. "I know."

~0~0~

Most magic shows hosted in the capital were rather gaudy affairs, the wizard performing for audiences with dazzling deception and mystical mystery. Most performers of their type were capable of lighting candles from a distance and changing the colors of people's clothing. It was suitably impressive for the young and inexperienced, a decent show of the basics of magic.

Emilie, who had grown up with a fully realized warlock and a powerful magical creature, found it rather boring. It was easy to recognize a washout like the man she'd stopped to watch, not even bothering to clap with the crowd when he managed to get the flames from the candles to hop to the bird-shaped wooden frame sitting on the table before him.

"You don't seem very impressed by the show."

She startled, turning to look at the man who'd approached her, giving him a weak smile in response to his more natural grin. "Ah, my father- he knows magic, so…"

"You grew up with it, so you don't see what's so exciting about it."

She blushed, trying not to look directly at his (admittedly handsome) face. "Pretty much."

"What made you stop to watch then?"

She shrugged, still looking away from the red gaze watching her. "I guess I was just curious about what everyone was watching."

"You don't live near here then?" At the surprised glance, he shrugged. "The shows are pretty common around here, so if you aren't used to them then you probably don't come here too often."

"I live near the mountains… my father and I only come here a few times a year. He gave me some time to explore the city since we finished getting what we needed early."

"On your own?" He frowned. "That doesn't seem very safe, especially for a young woman like yourself."

"He trusts me to be careful." Emilie frowned, hoping he wasn't going to turn his nose up at her for exploring on her own. He might be nice to look at, but there were some things she wouldn't put up with. "I'm old enough to handle myself."

He conceded with a tilt of his head. "Still, there are some areas of town I wouldn't trust your safety to were you to wander into them by accident. If you'd like, I could show you around the city so that you know where those areas are so that you can avoid them on future trips. I can also show you some of the nicer areas that you might not have seen."

She bit her lip, thinking. There was still time before she had to return to the inn, and a chance to have a guided tour of the place would make it easier for her to get around later… plus the man was rather nice to look at and speak with…

"My father shouldn't mind as long as I'm back in time."

He grinned, offering a hand with a light bow. "Well then, may I know the name of the young lady I'm going to be escorting today?"

She place her hand into his after a second's hesitance. "Emma. And may I ask who will be escorting me today?"

He placed a brief kiss to the back of her hand, making her blush harder than before. "Gilbert. Shall we begin?"

The next several hours were spent chatting amiably, Emilie's small crush blooming further as she got to know the young knight. He was apparently visiting family in the area on a temporary leave from his duties, but planned to return soon. He'd travelled far from his home in the line of duty, serving king and country to the best of his abilities all the while. She herself gave an overview of her life, leaving out smaller details like Alfred being a dragon and her makeshift family living in the caverns tucked well away in the mountains themselves.

She hadn't really realized how much she'd missed just being with people outside of her family until now, and found herself craving more. She was leaving first thing in the morning, though, and he returning the following week to his duties; they'd likely never meet again.

They stopped before the inn, Emilie tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you for the tour - I had a really nice time."

"I enjoyed it too." Gilbert's grin had rarely dropped entirely throughout the trip, only changing in intensity over time. "You seem to know a lot more than most of the people I've met."

"My father usually lets me read his books when he's not using them, so I picked up a few things." She shrugged sheepishly, hoping she hadn't given herself away.

"I see. It's been great getting to know you, Emma. Maybe someday we'll meet again, if fate smiles on us."

She smiled, looking back at him. "I think I'd like that a lot, Sir Gilbert. Safe journeys to you."

"Safe journeys to you as well."

With one last smile, Emilie turned and entered the building, too busy humming happily over the events of the day to notice the thoughtful gaze looking after her.

Then again, it wasn't like she could have noticed her eye's reflection briefly darken to something they shouldn't be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Alfred next chapter, seeing as it's gonna be his POV. Hope you enjoy!


	3. Tickling a Sleeping Dragon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part is in Alfred's POV. Most to give you an idea of how he thinks since he's, y'know, not human and all that.

There was a time when Alfred hadn't understood human stories about his kind.

He'd been young, so terribly young when Arthur had stumbled across him, his normally shiny blue scales having been hidden by dust and dulled by hunger. His first meal in weeks had been the warlock's blood when the man had attempted to grab him roughly, though it hardly eased the growl of his insides like the rabbits he'd gotten later had.

(They'd still tasted somewhat human though, the bandages the young man had wrapped his hand in having bled through at one point. It wasn't a pleasant taste to him, not anymore.)

The warlock had not been fully trained then, not even an adult yet, but he'd gone through great pains - many literal - to make sure Alfred recovered and grew. It was from him the dragon had learned to speak the human tongue, had learned of the wonders and dangers of the world, had learned magic and politics and of the deep rooted fear humans had of his kind.

Arthur had been his only family in the world, even more so than the ones who'd given him life. Most dragons had no concept of the idea from what he'd gleaned, too territorial and possessive to ever trust each other so openly. He couldn't be sure though; by the time he'd been old enough to actually look into it, Andaca had implemented their stringent anti-dragon policies, forcing the two east rather than face the flights of dragons that would soon crowd the western reaches.

The only thing they'd brought with them had been Arthur's then-modest library.

Alfred loved books, more than he ever would dare admit for fear of teasing from his father figure. A childhood of curling in the man's lap while he dictated the words from the wood pulp page, bringing the story to life, had been the fondest of his memories, even when he'd grown large enough for Arthur to lean against him instead. The tales of dragons and knights had always been the most interesting, even if they made his tail twitch in agitation.

But for the longest time he hadn't understood them. Why would a dragon kidnap people? They tasted terrible, their screams quickly gave headaches, and they were often quickly rescued by other people who had the weapons and cunning to take even an experienced dragon out. Even if they weren't true, which he suspected was the case, why was it always princesses? Weren't they even more likely to be rescued quickly, the knights more eager to spill blood?

"Don't you get lonely, though?"

It was the first time he'd ever been asked that, and he'd been surprised enough to answer honestly - he'd get bored, sure, but he couldn't really say he was lonely. Not to say he didn't miss Arthur when he went on one of his trips, but…

She'd look so small and vulnerable. With her having no one to return to, he'd done the only thing he could think to do - bring her home until Arthur could deal with it.

But then she'd had to get attached, something he definitely hadn't planned on. Even more so because she ended up being a princess, something he'd found so hilariously ironic that he'd startled Arthur when he laughed about it.

It was nice to have her around, he'd realized after a while. He'd never had anyone to really talk to besides Arthur, so even the time he'd spent explaining everything she'd asked about had been something of a experience for him. She wasn't much younger than him - perhaps four years at most - but the way she looked up to him made a part of him deep in his chest glow with warmth.

(Could he really be blamed for ending up just as attached, in the end?)

It was… similar to his possessiveness of his small mound of treasure, he'd acknowledged, but at the same time it was different. It wasn't a desire to claim, but one to guard, protect and cherish.

Arthur had called it love.

Alfred thought it was something deeper than that.

She was…

A clank of metal against rock woke him; he lifted his head enough to peer into the dark, trying not to jostle Emilie awake. He could just make out the faint whiff of magic, and he swore he could see something-

 _Blacklight._  Someone was hiding themselves with magic, and with the sleeping forms of Arthur and Emilie, that meant only one thing to him.

_Threat._

His throat rumbled in warning, his eyes focused on where he thought the scent was coming from. Both of his humans were stirring now, but that was hard to avoid with his voice filling the cavern, and he'd made it clear to the intruder that he'd been caught. It didn't take long for the intruder to drop the spell, allowing him to see pale features, pale hair, and pale armor contrasted with the colors of Andaca.

A knight. Alfred shifted to hide Emilie behind a half extended wing, muffling her sleepy mutterings with a tap of his tail against her. He wasn't certain how awake Arthur was, but with the smell of magic still clinging to the knight, he was leery for both their sakes.

"Figures you'd wake up and make this difficult for both of us…" The man muttered, hand reaching of his waist. "If you'd just stayed asleep my job would have been so much easier…"

"What do you want?" The dragon enjoyed the shocked pause in the knight's movements at his clear voice.

"I'm taking the princess home," He'd replied once he'd gotten over it. "I think she's been trapped here long enough."

"And what the bloody hell make you think she's even here?" Arthur grouced from his bed, and Alfred didn't have to imagine the scowl on his face. He'd probably caught on quickly to what the dragon was doing and was going along.

"Probably the fact that the only powerful magician anywhere along these mountains also happens to be the same person she claimed was her so-called 'father'." The knight snorted. "You've good enchantments, but I've got better."

"What makes you think she'll go with you?" Alfred lowered his head and bared his fangs, locked eyes with the threat.

The knight's hand rested on his blade. "Her father wishes her by his side; she is obligated by duty to return. If there's nothing left to keep her here…"

"Gilbert?"

Alfred turned to look at Emilie, who had lifted the wing enough to see what was going on. "Em-"

"Princess." Gilbert tilted his head to her, not removing his gaze from the drake. "I'm here to rescue you and return you home."

" _This_ is my home, and I hardly need rescuing." She shoved at the wing that was still keeping her back, sending a brief sharp glance to Alfred. "Let me out already."

Alfred hummed in displeasure, be resheathed his wing, allowing her to face the knight directly. She stood tall in the limited light, look a lot like Arthur (and even more so the royalty she might have been). His attention returned to the knight as he moved closer, a growl keeping the man in place.

"Considering the company you keep, princess, I sincerely doubt that."

"You're one to talk, skulking about in the middle of the night."

"It's hardly like I could walk up midday and expect a warm welcome, now could I?"

"We'd probably be more open to discussion then," Emilie shot back. "Did you even consider coming to talk to us instead?"

"The… thought had not crossed my mind, no."

"And knights are supposed to be the good guys in all this…" Alfred muttered under his breath, earning snerks from Arthur and Emilie alike.

Gilbert shifted, ignoring the comment. "Your father misses you terribly, and your people need you to provide support for the kingdom-"

"I know what happens if I don't go back, Sir Gilbert. I find it interesting that it only took him ten years to come and look for me."

"Don't you dare downplay his concern for you," The knight snapped, ignoring the warning from Alfred for it. "He practically tore his kingdom apart looking for you, and feared you killed or worse for longer still."

"How was I to know?" She snapped back. "I'd heard nothing from the nearby towns or cities about this growing up, and the last I'd seen of the king he was sending me away!"

"For your safety!"

Emilie snorted. "I've been safer here than anywhere else I might have ended up, I assure you."

"Be that as it may, you are needed home. You may give your farewell to your companions first, but-"

"No."

"You must."

"Not without them."

"Princess-"

"I know the kingdom forbids sorcerers and drakes. I plan on changing that as soon as I am allowed, and I see it foolish to make them wait for something like this."

"Are you mad? Those laws are in place-"

"For no reason I can see! The kingdom tolerated both for hundreds of years before, it can handle having them back again."

"It's for your safety!"

A scoff. "How so?"

He was quiet a moment. "I cannot say, but-"

"Then there's no reason for such laws, now is there?"

"I promise you, they are in place for good reason, one I'm certain your father will explain in good time-"

"And I told you, I am not leaving without my family."

Gilbert sighed. "It pains me to have to do this princess, but-"

Alfred moved forward, blocking Emilie with his body before the knight's blade even left the sheathe. However, he'd failed to catch the knight's leg swing back, delivering a fierce kick to the lamp that had sat forgotten beside him. Arthur shouted a warning, but before the dragon or the sorcerer could do anything the knight's blade had cleaved it in half, releasing its magic all at once.

Alfred could barely see - could barely think - through the pain coursing through him. The blacklight ate at his magic, the core of his essence, and he could barely make out the pained cries of Arthur or the worried cries of his princess.

Everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one to go before I wrap up this small 'verse! I decided to do this one from Alfred's POV simply so you can understand a bit of how his thought process works. Despite how he acts, he is still a dragon, which means he simply thinks differently.
> 
> Also, badass Emilie. Sort of. Kind of.


	4. Dragon's Hoard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final part! Get ready for a long one, because I'm pretty sure this is longer than any of the other parts by far.

He hadn't heard her voice once since her arrival.

King Francis wasn't quite sure what to do with his recently returned daughter. She'd obviously had at least some formal court training, as she went through the motions of pleasantries with the other nobles no apparent discomfort. She held herself regally, looking for all the world like she'd truly grown up in the court and not in some cavern in the mountains.

Whoever had raised her had at least done a good job; a shame the man had been who he was, or Francis might have considered thanking him. Well, if he weren't dead, anyways.

Gilbert was still reveling in the praise and wealth he'd come into on returning Emilie to the kingdom, taking advantage of the vacation he'd earned for his service. If Francis were to question him, it'd have to be after the man chose to return, because the young woman he now had to deal with was… very little like the one Gilbert had told him about in great detail.

Emilie was shut in where she should have been open, quiet where she should have been opinionated, uncaring where she should have been inquisitive. The only thing that seemed to hold true was her stubbornness, as she'd managed to avoid looking at or speaking to him once, even when he'd addressed her directly.

He frowned; daughter she might be, but he was her father and the king, and if nothing else she would listen to him. What he had done was entirely for her own good, and though she might not appreciate it now she would one day understand why he did what he did.

"Thank you, Antonio," the king thanked as the knight led Emilie in, distracting him from his thoughts.

Her gaze was purposely facing downwards, not reacting as the door shut behind her, leaving her alone with her father.

"Emilie…" Francis stepped forward, gently touching her face, partially afraid the facade would fall and he'd be without his only child again. "I've missed you so much."

She remained silent, not looking up.

"You grown lovely, you know. Just like your mother, but with, I feel, the best of my mother's features. I only wonder if your voice is just as pretty."

A frown started to tug at his smile, irritation growing as he continued to receive no response. "I understand you might not be happy with me right now, but it was only for your safety. If I'd known where you were all this time, I'd have refused rest until you were back in my arms, safe and sound. It is for the best if you put those thieves out of your mind and focus on your duties as the princess-"

"They aren't thieves."

Francis nearly startled. "Emilie-"

Her gaze rose to his, soft violet sharpened to bitter hot ice. "Alfred and Arthur did not kidnap me. They gave me the option many times growing up to return here, and every time I refused. They raised me and protected me, which is more than you managed."

"You will not speak to me that way," He resisted the urge to grab her and force her to understand that he had only acted out of love and worry for her- "I am your father and your king, and I will not tolerate disrespect, even from you."

She snorted. "You might be the king, but you are in no way my father-"

Both stopped, shocked equally at the red mark starting to stain her cheek. Her face slowly tilted back to face him, ignoring the hand he still held in the air.

"-go to your rooms, and do not leave. The ceremony celebrating your return will be in a week - I expect you to present yourself properly for your station."

She tilted her head in the mildest mockery of respect, a false submission. "Of course, your majesty."

He turned away, looking out the window as her escort took her away, wondering when everything had started to go wrong.

~0~0~

The corset she'd been forced into was tight, crushing her chest, but it was not why she felt she could barely breathe. Her fears of the castle walls and mass of people attempting to suffocate her had not been entirely unfounded, her privacy a thing of the distant past now to these- these  _nobles_  and  _servants_  and  _knights_  and really did everything she wore have to be so constraining and heavy?

Emilie tugged half-heartedly at the admittedly nice sleeve of her current dress - a pale blue affair decorated with moon-silver thread and white glossy pearls. The food was rich and foreign, and it made her miss Arthur's half-burnt pastries he'd always try to make for her birthday.

The fork settled to the plate, the last of her appetite gone. A darkness settled over her vision as her ears rang with those horrible, horrible screams-

' _Alfred!' She'd coughed through the smoky magic, trying to squirm out of the tight grip holding her. 'Arthur!'_

' _That's enough, princess,' Gilbert had tugged, dragging her away from them even as she attempted to land a blow on him._

' _Let me go, you jerk!' She'd screamed at him, a particularly lucky throw of her elbow landing solidly on the side of his head, making him cuss as she tore out of his grip to run back into the dark._

' _Alfred! Arthur!' She tried desperately to find them, but it was too dark to see anything, and the screams had died off into terrifying silence. 'Someone, answer me-'_

She'd later woken with a massive headache, arms and feet tied, bouncing on the front of the saddle of a white horse. Emilie didn't even care that her weak struggles against him were futile, because she simply refused to accept the idea that they-

But it'd been three weeks, and she hadn't seen hide nor hair of them. Surely if they could have, they'd have come for her, right? They wouldn't have left her to choke to death under the weight of all this by herself, would they?

There was no alternative that didn't make her chest ache, so she pushed her thoughts away, staring down at the half-eaten dish that she desperately wished hadn't been cooked so evenly and precisely. She felt like an intruder, a fake, pretending to be the princess while the real one was somewhere else.

God, why had she trusted Gilbert?

(At the least, she'd had the satisfaction of slapping him in front of the others when he'd been foolish enough to boast of his success within earshot.)

She thought she could hear voices over the banquet chattering, soft but quickly getting closer, louder, and filled with- yelling? Screaming?

Her head lifted just as the door slammed open, something large and grey-blue stumbling in before raising its head to look at her-

Her heart dropped, then swelled, cutting away her breath. "Alfred…?"

The dragon looked so dull, though - she'd never seen him so ill, but it was him, she could never mistake those eyes for any other's. She hadn't even realized she'd stood until her father grabbed her, hissing at her to sit down and hide.

' _Fuck that,_ ' she held back, tugging away and forcing herself through the mob of nobles who were trying to escape. "Alfred!  _Alfred!_ "

Alfred's ears perked up, his gaze never leaving hers once he caught it, wings flaring out slightly in greeting. She realized then that Arthur was there as well, leaning heavily against the dragon but smiling as she caught sight of him. He was nearly as grey-faced as Alfred, but still so very much alive she could have sobbed in relief.

There were shouts behind her - orders to catch her - but she was already past anyone who could think to grab her, dashing the rest of the way into Arthur's arms and grabbing tight, relief flooding her and overflowing as she felt him weakly hug her back. "Arthur-  _daddy_ -"

"Shh, it's alright." He whispered. "We're here now, love."

"Em…" Alfred pressed his snout to her, smiling as she looked over to him with a watery smile. "Sorry we didn't come sooner, but Arthur wanted to wait."

"You could barely fly, you overgrown lizard." Arthur snapped with no heat. "What good would you have been to her if you'd died on the flight here?"

"But she could've been hurt, or locked up, or something worse." The dragon mumbled. "And what kind of protector would I be if I let that happen to her?"

"Probably one who wasn't half-dead."

Emilie sniffled quietly. "I thought the two of you dead… you were screaming so loud, and then you both went so quiet…"

"We came close, I'm afraid." Arthur admitted, ignoring the growing crowd of knights surrounding them. "But I haven't survived this long without knowing how to deal with severe magical drain."

"A pity, but I suppose I should have thought of that." King Francis stepped forward, scowling, blade drawn. "Let my daughter go and I might allow you to leave with your lives intact."

"No," Emilie pulled away, scowling as she stood before her father. "I will not let you send them away."

"Emilie, step away from them before you get hurt-"

"By who, you? You've already managed that just fine." She snorted, a brief flash of amusement crossing her lips as he flinched back at the jab. "They have never hurt me, and I see no reason for yours or this kingdom's irrational fear of either of them!"

"You don't understand-"

"You're right, I don't so why don't you tell me? Because we would all love to know what would make such a tolerant place so paranoid they can't see past their own prejudices."

Arthur stepped forward, gently grasping her arm. "Emilie, you don't need to worry about us."

"But if I don't, then who will?" Emilie turned to look at him. "If I wait to take the throne it will be decades before I see either of you again, and I-" She swallowed. "I don't think I can handle that."

"Em…" Alfred pressed his nose to her again, shutting his eyes as she turned to cling to him.

"I won't let you leave me alone again," She mumbled. "I won't accept it."

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise. 'Cause you- you're my princess." He puffed his chest out a little. "And I'm your dragon, and no dumb kings or laws or anything can change that."

"My dragon…" She laughed a little, the silly yet sincere vow warming her. "And your princess. That sounds nice, I think."

Arthur, meanwhile, watched as Francis' face changed, an understanding starting to dawn. "I've already lost her, haven't I?"

"Well, you've made a good attempt at it, at least." Arthur agreed, earning a half-hearted scowl from the king.

"And what do you care? You're the one who won."

"If anything, it's Emilie who's won. I could have warned you of how attached she is to Alfred if you'd bothered to come forward to talk instead of abducting her from the only place she'd ever thought of as home."

The king frowned thoughtfully, rising from his slow slump. "You're the one who trained her in the ways of the court, weren't you? Why?"

"Because I knew she'd have to return someday, and I refused to let her stumble into this with no knowledge of her birthright. She's not foolish; she knew what would happen if she were to abdicate the throne through her continued absence, but she wasn't ready to take on the responsibility yet."

They both looked to Emilie, who was now animatedly whispering something to an intrigued Alfred. "I wonder how she got so attached to such a creature…"

"He did save her life when she was almost captured by bandits; between that and his chattering, Alfred made enough of a good impression that she simply refused to leave."

"I see," Francis glanced from Arthur back to Emilie before returning his gaze to the warlock.

"Why were you so paranoid about, anyways? I can't think of much that would drive a usually sensible king to such extremes."

"Well," Francis admitted reluctantly. "There was this prophecy… one of your kind basically announced at her christening that her heart would be stolen by a dragon. I was trying to prevent that, but…"

"A prophecy?" Arthur's brows scrunched together. "Those are complete and utter bollocks. There hasn't been a true prophet in three thousand years, and the rest of us would have known if one had shown up before now. Tell me, did the so-called prophet happen to be tall? Dark complected?"

"Yes…"

"Romulus, then. He's had a grudge against dragons since before I was born, and he certainly wasn't pleased when I was able to 'tame' one where he couldn't. I wouldn't be surprised if he made such claims throughout the continent, knowing him."

Francis frowned. "That doesn't mean it didn't come true, though."

"Only through chance, most likely. Those two are both much too lucky for their own good."

Neither spoke for a moment. The knights and nobles shifted nervously, wondering what would happen next.

"...do you think it's too late for her to like me?"

Arthur laughed softly. "You could probably bring her around by revoking the banishment law, for a start, but I'm afraid you've a long road ahead of you to make up for what you've managed to mess up so far."

Francis sighed. "I suppose I have no choice then, do I? You're actually rather tolerable for a warlock."

"I suppose you're tolerable for a ponce, as well."

Francis chuckled, shaking his head, as he turned to the duo. "Emilie."

Emilie and the dragon both turned to look at him, frowning.

He breathed in deeply. "If I were to revoke the banishment law, and allow… Alfred was it? to remain here as your official guard, would you object?"

Her face dropped in shock; she turned to Arthur, who nodded once, before turning to Alfred, who matched her surprised expression. Feeling the smile bubbling up through her, she turned back to the king. "I think that'd be wonderful."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus marks the end of this epic saga (cough yeah right).
> 
> So... what do you think of the ending and the story overall? Was it okay? What do you think you'd like to see next? I mean this story can go in a number of directions to be honest, and I might play around with some ideas to see what I'll do next.
> 
> I suppose it's not the most exciting piece in the world, but overall I think it came out okay? I think if I had a chance to rewrite it it'd be a lot more exciting probably.


End file.
